'Seoseok Elementary School Captain Choi Seo-yun' Becomes Korea's First Female U-12 National Team Player! Final Roster Announced for the 12th Asian Youth Baseball Championship

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Seo-yun (12), captain of Seoseok Elementary School, has become the first female player in the history of the Korean U-12 national baseball team to wear the Taegeuk mark.

The Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) has finalized the national team roster to participate in the 12th Asian Youth Baseball Championship (U-12), to be held from August 9 to August 15 in Hangzhou and Guili, China.

On the 10th, the KBSA held a meeting of the Performance Improvement Committee and appointed Lee Young-guk, coach of Yeoksam Elementary School, and Lee Sang-ho, coach of Chilseong Elementary School, as coaches. Fifteen players were selected as the final roster from among the national team coaching staff and players recommended by the Performance Improvement Committee.

The Lee Beon (CEO) team includes a large number of players from Gadong Elementary School, which won the 3rd President's Cup National Youth Baseball Tournament and the 55th National Youth Sports Festival this year. Five players from Gadong Elementary School — Lee Seung-woo, Lee Tae-ha, Kim Seo-jin, Yu Young-gwang, and Kim Yun — have been named to the national team and will serve as the core of the team's strength. In particular, Lee Seung-woo, the ace of Gadong Elementary School who led the team to victories in both tournaments, is expected to be a key pitcher for the national team, performing a central role on the mound based on his stable game management skills and outstanding pitching ability.

Additionally, three players — Ha Ha-jun, Bae Jeong-woo, and Cha Tae-min — from Bucheon Buk Elementary School, which finished as runner-up in both tournaments, have joined the Seon Bal-dwae (CEO) team. In addition, Busan Suyoung Elementary School's Kim Yul, a left-handed pitcher with stable game management skills, along with Im Seung-hoo of Seokgyo Elementary School, Oh Seok-chan of Suncheon Namsan Elementary School, and Lee Ha-jun of Seorim Elementary School, were selected for the national team, bolstering the team's strength.

In particular, Choi Seo-yun of Seoseok Elementary School is the first female player ever selected for the U-12 national baseball team. As the captain of her team, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership and is evaluated as a player who combines excellent outfield defense skills utilizing a wide defensive range with power-hitting ability.

Meanwhile, a total of eight countries will participate in this tournament. Japan, the Philippines, China, and Pakistan are in Group A, while South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand are in Group B. The top two teams from the preliminary round will advance to the super round, and the top two teams based on the combined standings of the preliminary round head-to-head results and super round performance will advance to the final. The KBSA plans to gather the national team from the end of July to conduct domestic strengthening training with the goal of winning the tournament, and intends to depart for China after improving team organization and game performance.

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*This content was translated by AI.